A South Sudanese government soldier stands guard at the airport in Malakal on Jan. 21, 2014.(Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin/Associated Press)

Canada quietly drops African country from foreign-aid priority list

Kim Mackrael

Ottawa — The Globe and Mail

Published Monday, Mar. 17, 2014 2:54PM EDT

Last updated Monday, Mar. 17, 2014 3:39PM EDT

Canada has quietly dropped Sudan from its list of priority countries for foreign aid, a new report from the Department of Foreign Affairs shows, just as the United Nations warns of a resurgence of violence in the country’s conflict-torn Darfur region.

The department’s annual report on plans and priorities, published this month, makes no mention of the African country in a list describing Canada’s top 20 destinations for foreign aid. South Sudan, which split from its northern neighbour in 2011, remains on the list and the other 19 priority countries are unchanged.